1. As the last post said, I have graduated. I did my poster session, did an event, and left Austin for what may be a while. Thanks again to my friend Kelle for letting me crash at her place.

2. In other news, I’m leaving for Washington, DC in a couple of weeks to do a three-month internship with NPR. Should be loads of fun. However, I still need a place to live and a part-time job, so prayers for that should be fun. I’m going to miss Texas, and I will be working my butt off, but this is an opportunity I can’t miss. It’s gonna be awesome.

3. Things I have been mulling about lately: How the Enlightenment turned us into a people who refers to rules rather than actual ethics, and we are worse off for it; how we have separated thinking from being and doing; how I am in need of a poor spirit, in the beatitude sense; the similarities between Toy Story 3 and the Lost finale and the U2 song “One” (yeah, seriously); how the Internet can own me a little too easily; how a friend of mine is feeling called to go minister in New England and how I should get him in touch with an Internet buddy of mine; how I might need to get a new backpack. And more, too, possibly, but I can’t think of them right now, so I’m probably not mulling about them that hard. 😉 Maybe some posts about some of this soon…

4. Reading: The fourth Harry Potter (yes, I’m going through the series again–a friend is reading them for the first time and I’m trying to catch up with her so we can read the last two together). Jerry Bridges’s The Pursuit of Holiness (really good). Started Jane Eyre. Pondering what to take with me to read in DC, if anything–I might have time to read on the metro, maybe, so I’m gonna need something.

The Nerdist podcast
Recommended with the caveat that it earns that “explicit” rating in iTunes, but if your conscience allows it is really freaking funny. The live episodes are my favorites.

Housesitting
You do a friend a favor, and in return you get to use their cable. Everyone wins. 🙂

Learning a craft
Our society has mostly separated thinking from doing and made knowledge abstract rather than practical. Don’t do that. Learn how to do something you actually have to think about while you’re doing it–especially you academic friends of mine that read this. It’ll keep you from becoming a total hermit. That’s why I’m glad I’m a knitter, but it’s also what makes me want to learn how to do other stuff, too, like coding or how to fix a car or how to sew.

Staying inside and eating popsicles
At least in Texas. Seriously, y’all, it is hot out there. My popsicle of choice is actually the coconut fruit bars that Breyer’s makes–they are tasty, if you like coconut (which I do, but I realize some people don’t).

NoiseTrade
Give them your e-mail and ZIP code, download free music, leave a tip for the artist if you want. Lots of good stuff on there, including…

Thad Cockerell’s album To Be Loved
Absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful lyrics, killer voice, really good alt-country kind of stuff. You have until the end of this week to get it on NoiseTrade, so what are you waiting for?